Route 66 (song)

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66"
Sheet music cover featuring the King Cole Trio
Single by the King Cole Trio
B-side	"Everyone Is Sayin' Hello Again (Why Must We Say Goodbye)"
Released	1946 (1946)
Format	Ten-inch 78  rpm record
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:57
Label	Capitol (256)
Writer(s)	Bobby Troup

"(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The song uses a twelve-bar blues arrangement and the lyrics follow the path of U.S. Route 66 (US 66), which traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California.

Nat King Cole, as the King Cole Trio, first recorded the song the same year and it became a hit, appearing on Billboard magazine's R&B and pop charts.
Another version to reach the Billboard charts was that recorded by Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters on May 11, 1946 and this reached the No. 14 position in 1946. The song was subsequently recorded by many artists including Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Them, Dr. Feelgood, Asleep at the Wheel, the Manhattan Transfer, Depeche Mode, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Cramps and John Mayer.

The idea for the song came to Troup on a cross-country drive from Pennsylvania to California. Troup wanted to try his hand as a Hollywood songwriter, so he and his wife, Cynthia, packed up their 1941 Buick and headed west. The trip began on US 40 and continued along US 66 to the California coast. Troup initially considered writing a tune about US 40, but Cynthia suggested the title "Get Your Kicks on Route 66". The song was composed on the ten-day journey, and completed by referencing maps when the couple arrived in Los Angeles.